Photographic camera.



A. N. HERMAN.

PHOTOGRAPHIG CAMERA.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 6, 1908.

1 1 24, 3 1 3. Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

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APPLICATION FILED NOV.6,1908.

1 1 24, 313, Patented Jan. 12, 1915.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALEXANDER N. PIERMAN, OF NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR, BY DIRECT ANDMESNE ASSIGNMENTS, 0F ONE-FOURTH T0 FRANK L. DYER, OF MONTCLAIR,

NEW JERSEY, AND ONE-FOURTH T0 LEONARD H. DYER, OF

NECTICUT.

GREENWIGH, CON

PHOTOGRAPHIC CAMERA.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. '12, 1915.

To all who/1t it may concern.

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER N. PIER- MAN, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Newark, in the county of Essex and State ofNew Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inPhotographic Cameras, of which the following is a description.

My invention relates to that class of cameras in which the image to bephotographed is thrown by the objective upon a surface that reflects tothe eye of the operator, or upon a visible focusing surface. A commonform of such cameras and that which I have adopted, is that in which amirror, arranged at an angle, receives the image and reflects itupwardly to a horizontally disposed focusing ground glass.

The objects of my invention are to produce an eflicient and inexpensiveform of camera, capable of taking pictures with either an instantaneousor a time exposure. Pursuant to these objects, the shutter is formed tocarry the reflecting mirror which normally covers the exposure openingand reflects the image, thrown upon it by the objective, upon thefocusing glass. This image obtained, my invention contemplates theprovision of simple manipulative devices for rotating the shutter fromin front of the exposure opening, to cause either an instantaneous or atime exposure. Preferably, and as here shown, this operation isperformed by a single, simple manipulative means.

The invention has been shown applied to a style of camera in which isexposed a continuous length of sensitized film, and in which the filmrolls are carried in front of the focal plane. Obviously, however, itmay be embodied in other forms; that is to say, the structural elementsmay be varied within the scope of the appended claims without departingfrom the spirit of the invention.

Reference is hereby made to the accompanying drawings forming part ofthis specification, in which- Figure 1 represents a central, verticallongitudinal section through the camera, taken on line 11 of Fig. 2;Fig. 2 is a horizontal section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is arear view of the camera showing the hinged door in place; Figs. 4 and 51 shown at 18. The structure so far are detail views of the means forthe shutter spring; Figs. 6 and 8 showing the shutter held respectivelyin non-exposing and in exposing positions; Figs. 7 and 9 are sideelevations of the same, respectively, Fig. 7 being shown partly insection, Fig. 10 is a detail in perspective, showing a lug or stop onthe shutter. and Fig. 11 is an enlarged section on line 11'-11 of Fig.1.

The camera comprises an inner partor section 1, fitting and slidingendwise into an outer box or casing 2, having a door 3, hinged at thebottom at 4, and retained by latches 5 at the top. When these latchesare withdrawn, the door is adapted to swing downwardly to permit thewithdrawal of the inner section 1. Near the front the inner section 1has a vertical partition 6, upon which is mounted the frame 7, whichcar- IIGS the objective 8. On each side of the objective are recesses 9,9, adapted to receive films or cartridges, shown in dotted lines of Fig.2 at 10, 10. The film passes from the supply roll along the sides of theinner section, between the side frame me: bers 11 and thinlight-excluding members 12, which form between the points or, :0, inFig. 2, the outer side walls of the inner section 1, which slide in thewalls 13 of the outer box. The film passes across the camera in thefocal plane at m and passes just inside of the aperture 14 in the reardoor 3, which aperture is covered by a ruby glass, from whence the filmpasses to the winding spool or reel.

The outer casing is provided with an observation hood 15, which ishinged at 16, and provided with flexible side walls 17. A ground glassfor focusing the image is described is all of a well-known type. Theinner box 1 is provided with an inclined partition 19, on which iscentrally mounted on a stud 20 the shutter 21, which carries the mirroror reflecting surface 22.

22 represents the opening in the shutter through which the exposuretakes place on the rotation of the shutter. This opening is preferablyan approximate semi-ellipse in form, the minor axis of the ellipse beingpractically equal to the width of the exposure opening 23 in partition19, this being calculated to permit the passage of all the tensioningare details light admitted through objective 8. Normally, the mirror 22covers the exposure opening 23 in the partition 19, and the parts are soarranged that the image of the scene viewed through objective 8 will bereflected by mirror 22, 18. When mirror 22 is removed from in front ofexposure opening 23, an exposure may be taken through the latter andthrough opening 22 in the shutter, upon the sensitized film or surfacelocated in the focal plane, and attention will now be directed to themeans for so moving the mirror and the shutter carrying the same.

A spring 24 18 attached centrally to the shutter 21, andis put undertorsion to give shutter 21 force to revolve when released. The shutteris normally held against such revolution by the co-action of a stop 25on the shutter, with a flexible spring or stop 26, which is fastened asby screws to the partition 19, at Spring 24 is attached to-a pin 28,which carries on its outer end a disk 29 provided witha handle 30. Fm 28is rotatably mounted in a sleeve 31, WhlCll is mounted in partition 19,and in the rear member 32 of the inner box or section 1. Disk 29 isadapted to rotate on disk 33, mounted on the rear wall of member 32. Thedisk 29may likewise be moved a short distance axially from plate 33,upon which it rests, this motion being resisted by spring 34, which ismounted in sleeve 31, and confined between the plate 33 and a collar onthe inner end of pin 28. Disk 29 is provided with a finger 35, which isadapted to coact with inclined slot 36 in the disk 33, to lock the disk29, and with it the shutter, against rotation, the inclined edge of theslot 36 serving to cam the finger 35 out of the slot and thus give thedisk 29 the axial movement necessary to unlock the same, when handle isrotated in a clockwise direction. To put spring 24 under torsion,

- handle 30 is rotated one revolution, as

shown, in a clockwise direction, and finger allowed to engage slot 36.The shutter is then given a tendency to rotate in a clockwise direction,as shown in Fig. 6, by the torsion spring 24, this tendency normallybeing counteracted by the co-action of stop 25 with spring 26. Spring 24may be considered a flexible shaft, connecting the shutter with handle30. Push pin 37 constitutes the means for releasing spring 26 to allowrotation of the shutter. This pin is mounted as shown, in partition 19and member 32 of the inner-section 1, and is provided with a head 38between which and member 32 of the inner box is mounted spring 39, thetendency of which is to kee pin 37 constantly pressed to the right,reference to Fig. 1).. Theinner end of the pin 37 extends against theunder side of spring 26. A light push upon head 38, of pin 37, therefullsize, upon focusing glass fore, quickly released, is suflicient to disengage spring 26 from stop 25, allowing shutter 21 to make one completerevolution, giving an instantaneous exposure through opening 23. Thepressure upon head 38 be ing released, spring 26 immediately returns toits original position, whereby spring 26 intercepts stop 25, when thelatter returns to its original position after one revolution. Spring40is provided, which bears with a slight pressure upon the side of stop 25when the latter is in position engaging spring 26, the function of thisspring 40 being to reduce the force of the impact of stop 25 with theend of the spring 26, and to prevent recoil of stop 25 from such impact.A second stop 41 is provided at a point approximately diametricallyopposed to stop 25 on shutter 21. This stop as shown in Fig. 10 isprovided with a short arm or offset 42, which is located at the sameradial distance from the center of the shutter as the end of stop 25,but which offset 42 overhangs the shutter in such a way as to leave acertain amount of clearance between the plane in which the top of stop25 is located and the plane in which ofiset 42 of stop 41 terminates.Therefore, when push pin 37 is pushed sufficiently to cause spring 26 tojust clear stop 25, the spring 26 will not be raised by pin 37suliiciently to place the end thereof in the path of offset 42, when theshutter in its rotation carries stop 41 past spring 26, offset 42 inthis case, passing above the end of spring 26. When, however, 'it isdesired to make a time exposure, pin 37 is depressed against thepressure of spring 39 with greater force than'in the case of aninstantaneous exposure, and the pin is not immediately released as inthat case, but on the contrary, the finger of the operator is held onthe pin for whatever length of time an exposure is desired. The resultof this greater pressure is that pin 37 flexes spring 26 to such anextent that it releases stop 25 and places itself in the path of offset42 of stop 41, so that the shutter, released from its position ofnon-exposure, is arrested by the impact of olfset 42 with the end ofspring 26 to hold the shutter in full exposing position with opening 23in partition 19, fully uncovered as in Fig. 8. This gives, .of course, atime exposure, or rather what is known as a bulb exposure, since itsoperation depends entirely upon the pressure of the operators finger onhead 38 of pin 37. When this pressure is released, spring 26 immediatelyreleases stop 41 and springs back into position to arrest the shutter inits position of non-exposure with stop25;

in contact with the end of spring 26. After equivalent parts,

handle 30 a rotation to the right, whereupon the shutter is againprepared for operation.

It will, of course, be understood that many changes are possible in thestructural details of my invention without departing from the spiritthereof. For example, while my invention has been described inconnection with a particular form of camera employing sensitive film, itmight have been shown as well in connectionwith other types of cameras.Also, while spring 26 has been described as being forced into the pathof stop 41 by being flexed in the direction at right angles to shutter21, the parts or may be employed in other arrangements without anydeparture from this invention.

Having now described my invention, what I claim as new therein anddesire to secure by Letters Patent is as follows 1. In a camera, thecombination with an objective and a focusing glass, of a rotatableshutter interposed between the objective and the focal plane, saidshutter carrying a reflecting surface arranged to reflect the image ontothe focusing glass, when the shutter is in non-exposing position, meansfor rotating said shutter to make an exposure, means for holding saidshutter in exposing or non-exposing position; and a single manipulativemeans cooperating with said holding means, whereby the length of suchexposure may be regulated at will, substantially as set forth.

2. In a camera, the combination with an objective, of a shutterinterposed between the objective and the focal plane, means tending tomove means, a stop carried by said shutter and normally co-acting withsaid movable means to hold said shutter in position for preventing anexposure, a second stop carried by said shutter and having an offsetportion co-acting with said movable means for holding said shutter inposition to effect a time exposure, the said offset portion being spacedfrom said shutter and from the plane passing through said first stopparallel to said shutter, and a single manipulative means for movingsaid movable means to release said first stop therefrom, and to movesaid movable means into the path of said second stop or not, as desired,substantially as described.

In a camera, the combination with an objective of a rotary shutterinterposed between the objective and the focal plane, means tendingconstantly to rotate said shutter, said shutter provided with twooppositely disposed stops thereon, locking means co-acting with one stopto normally hold said, shutter in position to prevent an exposure, pushmeans arranged to trip said locking means by a slight push to effect aninstantaneous exposure, and to cause said said shutter, movable lockingmeans to intercept said second stop when actuated by a push of greaterforce and duration, to effect a time exposure, substantially asdescribed.

4. In a camera, the combination of an objective, a shutter interposedbetween the objective and the focal plane, means tending continuously tomove said shutter from a non-exposing position through exposing positionto a non-exposing position, movable means, a stop carried by saidshutter and normally coacting with said movable means to hold saidshutter in position for preventing an exposure, a second stop carried bysaid shutter and. having an offset portion coacting with said movablemeans for holding said shutter in position to effect a time exposure,the said oflset being spaced from said shutter and from the planepassing through said first stop parallel with said shutter, andmanipulative means for moving said movable means to release said firststop therefrom, and to move said movable means into the path of saidsecond stop or not, as desired, substantially as described.

5. In a camera, the combination with an objective, of a rotatableshutter carrying two stops arranged peripherally, locking means adaptedto co-act with said stops and normally co-acting with one of them, meansfor forcing said locking means out of contact with said stop and to agreater or less distance beyond said stop by the application of agreater or less force respectively to said forcing means, the second ofsaid stops be ing so placed as to contact said locking means on therevolution of the shutter, when the locking means is forced to a greaterextent, and to miss contact with said locking means, when the latter isforced to a less extent, substantially as described.

6. In a camera, the combination with an objective, of a rotatableshutter carrying two stops arranged peripherally, a flexible springadapted to co-act With said stops and normally co-acting with one ofthem, spring push means for flexing said spring out of contact with saidstop and to a greater or less distance beyond said stop, the second ofsaid stops being so placed as to contact said spring on the revolutionof the shutter when the spring is forced to a greater extent, and tomiss contact with said spring when the latter is forced to a lessextent, said spring returning into position to intercept said first stopwhen the pressure on it is removed, substantially as described.

7. In a camera, a rotatable shutter provided with a stop, meansco-acting with said stop to prevent rotation of said shutter, means torotate said shutter, means for momentarily releasing said stop to permitrotation of said shutter, and means adapted to meet with said stops toprevent reboimd of said shutter when said stop next encounters saidco-acting means, substantially as described.

8. In a camera, the combination of a shutter carrying a reflectingsurface, with an objective and a focusing glass on which is thrown theimage reflected by the reflecting surface, when the shutter is innon-exposing position, means for moving said shutter to make anexposure, and push means whereby the length of such exposure may beregulated at will by the extent and duration of the push employed,substantially as described.

9. In a camera, a rotatable shutter, means tending to rotate saidshutter, means for holding said shuttter against rotation in eitherexposing or non-exposing position, said means comprising two stopscarried by said shutter and located at positions equidistant from theaxis thereof, and means adjustable to release said holding ineanswhereby an instantaneous or a time ex- ALEXANDER N. PIERMAN.

Witnesses DYER SMITH, A. R. KLEHM. I

